Two Cups of Tea at Hope’s Café
Having recovered enough from losing the blog that erased just as I was poised to post, I offer the “ New & Improved” version!
Intending to continue thoughts from last week’s blog, I was “derailed,” as can easily happen, by a recent event. When I received a phone call shortly after New Year’s from my childhood friend Milli’s husband, I learned that Milli had died in the fall. To deal with his grief Alex began to write a memoir which led to a series of calls with me to confirm details of some of the things Milli had shared with him about our friendship as we were growing up. This opened up an ongoing dialogue in which we have both had the opportunity to reminisce about the dear soul whose death is a shared loss for the many who loved her.
In the intervening day since I lost the original blog, I came across another story of shared loss. Michael J. Fox was at a book signing. Many people came bringing “Back to the Future” posters or other memorabilia for him to autograph. But one young woman approached him tentatively. She told him she and her father had both loved the movie and made it an annual event they shared to watch it again. In his final months of life, when he wasn’t able to do much else, they often sat watching the movie, appreciating both the experience of this mutual bond, and also the escape it offered for a few hours from the reality of his impending death. She asked if Michael would write on her poster a special message to her recently deceased father. Michael was very touched and reflected in silence for a bit before taking up his pen to write “To the father who taught his daughter what time travel is really about.” She teared up and Michael reached out to squeeze her hand before she turned to go.
“Sharing memories is not only a good way to debrief and reminisce, we’re beginning to realise the process plays an important role in children’s psychological development and protects our memories as we advance in age,” advise Amanda Barnier and Penny VanBergen in “ ’Remember When We…’ Why Sharing Memories is Soul Food” (The Conversation, posted December 23. 2014).
We are wise to heed this advice, sharing, even recording, memories through the years, for the enriching benefits the sharing of memories offers us.
The invitation is open to share “two cups of tea” anytime at Hope’s Café, or anywhere you share companionship and conversation.
Hope's Cafe 